Give the People What They Want: Tony Ferguson v. Khabib Nurmagomedov
With Saturday’s UFC 238 event in the books, fans are wondering what’s next for the Eddie Bravo black belt.
This most recent win pushes Tony Ferguson to a 12-fight win streak and has people asking: why hasn’t he had a title shot yet?
Well, the division has been kind of a mess. Injuries, interim titles, and suspensions have plagued the top contenders, many of whom fought in the Featherweight division, perhaps to stay active. Currently, Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his suspended title against interim champ Dustin Poirier, who defeated Max Holloway in April 2019.
“If Dustin Poirier don’t do it, I’m going to do it,” Ferguson said at the UFC 238 post-fight press conference. “Tiramisu [Khabib Nurmagomedov] needs an ass whooping. He needs two to the stomach from me. If it’s McNuggets [Conor McGregor] for a money fight or whatever. He’s an athlete, too. I know the division misses him inside here. I’m pretty sure he misses the fight game, too.”
Ferguson shows little respect for Khabib, who dominated McGregor in their last, extremely public bout.
“I want to keep winning,” Ferguson continues. “What sounds better than 12? 13 — but it sounds a hell of a lot better with a title shot in that thirteenth victory.”
Does Ferguson feel confident he’ll be able to take on Khabib? He was happy to discuss it at the post-fight press conference.
“If I were to fight Khabib, guaran-damn-tee you I would throw him from his feet to his back and beat him like in sambo, like a five-point move in wrestling. That’s my background.”
As for McGregor?
“As far as McNuggets goes, I would love to stand toe-to-toe go with that dude.”
“I respect him as an athlete. As a person, he’s kind of a douche. It’s improper 13, it literally is, and I got an attitude and I have a different agency right now, which is great. There’s no conflict of interest, that’s No. 1 and No. 2 is, I’m here to kick some ass. I ran out of bubble gum. We’re here to do business.”
Ferguson was reportedly represented by the same agency that was representing McGregor, but is now clear of that conflict starting with the Cerrone fight.
In the meantime, Khabib has been a class act, extending a message of support when Tony went through some “issues”, although Tony was quick to respond that he was ready for his shot with Khabib.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope that this time the fight gets scheduled and both fighters make it to fight day healthy and ready to scrap.
